JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Wintry storms across the country are forcing Publix to cancel its scheduling event for COVID-19 vaccines that was set to take place Wednesday due to a delay in supply from the government, the company announced Tuesday.
Wednesday's scheduling event would have been for appointments starting on Friday. Customers who have currently scheduled appointments to receive their vaccines at Publix pharmacies this week will not be affected, the company told First Coast News.
The intense winter storm has pummeled tens of millions of people from Texas to New Jersey with ice and snow, preventing government delivery of allotted COVID-19 to Publix locations, as well as other vaccination sites across the state, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The state says it received an alert Monday amid the massive weather system sweeping parts of the U.S.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the delay on Twitter, saying "Weather conditions across the United States are impacting the shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine to Florida. @FLSERT and @HealthyFla are providing regular updates to our partners to ensure the vaccine is distributed as efficiently as possible as it arrives."
Publix's director of communications said once additional vaccine is received, the company will announce the next opportunity for people to schedule their appointments.
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According to the Florida Department of Health's latest report, 1,284,052 people across the state's 67 counties have been given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Another 1,103,298 people have received the second dose, meaning they are considered fully immunized.
The CDC reports that 4,514,300 vaccine doses have been distributed to the Sunshine State.